theodore roosevelt-第31节

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f　Japan。　And　soon　after；　when　the　German　Emperor　threatened　to　make　war　on　France；　a　letter　from　Roosevelt　to　him　caused　William　to　reconsider　his　brutal　plan；　and　to　submit　the　Moroccan　dispute　to　a　conference　of　the　Powers　at　Algeciras。

Instead　of　the　braggart　and　brawler　that　his　enemies　mispainted　him；　I　saw　in　Roosevelt；　rather；　a　strong　man　who　had　taken　early　to　heart　Hamlet's　maxim　and　had　steadfastly　practiced　it：

〃Rightly　to　be　great　Is　not　to　stir　without　great　argument；

But　greatly　to　find　quarrel　in　a　straw　When　honour's　at　the　stake。〃

He　himself　summed　up　this　part　of　his　philosophy　in　a　phrase　which　has　become　a　proverb：　〃Speak　softly；　but　carry　a　big　stick。〃　More　than　once　in　his　later　years　he　quoted　this　to　me；　adding；　that　it　was　precisely　because　this　or　that　Power　knew　that　he　carried　a　big　stick；　that　he　was　enabled　to　speak　softly　with　effect。

No　man　of　our　time　better　deserved　the　Nobel　Peace　Prize　than　did　he。　The　fallacy　that　Roosevelt；　like　the　proverbial　Irishman　at　Donnybrook　Fair；　had　rather　fight　than　eat；　spread　through　the　country；　and　indeed　throughout　the　world；　and　had　its　influence　in　determining　whether　men　voted　for　him　or　not。　His　enemies　used　it　as　proof　that　he　was　not　a　safe　President；　but　they　took　means　much　more　malignant　than　this　to　discredit　and　destroy　him。　When　the　Big　Interests　discovered　that　they　could　not　silence　him；　they　circulated　stories　of　all　kinds　that　would　have　rendered　even　the　archangel　Gabriel　suspect　to　some　worthy　dupes。

They　threw　doubts；　for　instance；　on　his　sanity；　and　one　heard　that　the　〃Wall　Street　magnates〃　employed　the　best　alienists　in　the　country　to　analyze　everything　the　President　did　and　said；　in　the　hope　of　accumulating　evidence　to　show　that　he　was　too　unbalanced　to　be　President。　Not　content　with　stealing　away　his　reputation　for　mental　competence；　they　shot　into　the　dark　the　gravest　charges　against　his　honor。　A　single　story；　still　believed；　as　I　know；　by　persons　of　eminence　in　their　professions；　will　illustrate　this。　When　one　of　the　great　contests　between　the　President　and　the　Interests　was　on；　he　remembered　that　one　of　their　representatives　in　New　York　had　damaging；　confidential　letters　from　him。　Hearing　that　these　might　be　produced；　Roosevelt　telephoned　one　of　his　trusty　agents　to　break　open　the　desk　of　the　Captain　of　Industry　where　they　were　kept；　and　to　bring　them　to　the　White　House；　before　ten　o'clock　the　following　morning。　This　was　done。　To　believe　that　the　President　of　the　United　States　would　engage　in　a　vulgar　robbery　of　the　jimmy　and　black…mask　sort　indicates　a　degree　of　credulity　which　even　the　alienists　could　hardly　have　expected　to　encounter　outside　of　their　asylums。　It　suggests　also；　that　Baron　Munchausen；　like　the　Wandering　Jew　Ahasuerus；　has　never　died。　Does　any　one　suppose　that　the　person　whose　desk　was　rifled　would　have　kept　quiet？　Or　that；　if　the　Interests　had　had　even　reasonably　sure　evidence　of　the　President's　guilt；　they　would　not　have　published　it？　To　set　spies　and　detectives　upon　him　with　orders　to　trail　him　night　and　day　was；　according　to　rumor；　an　obvious　expedient　for　his　enemies　to　employ。

I　repeat　these　stories；　not　because　I　believe　them；　but　because　many　persons　did；　and　such　gossip；　like　the　cruel　slanders　whispered　against　President　Cleveland　years　before；　gained　some　credence。　Roosevelt　was　so　natural；　so　unguarded；　in　his　speech　and　ways；　that　he　laid　himself　open　to　calumny。　The　delight　he　took　in　establishing　the　Ananias　Club；　and　the　rapidity　with　which　he　found　new　members　for　it；　seemed　to　justify　strong　doubts　as　to　his　temper　and　taste；　if　not　as　to　his　judgment。　The　vehemence　of　his　public　speaking；　which　was　caused　in　part　by　a　physical　difficulty　of　utterancethe　sequel　of　his　early　asthmatic　troubleand　in　part　by　his　extraordinary　vigor；　created　among　some　of　the　hearers　who　did　not　know　him　the　impression　that　he　must　be　a　hard　drinker；　or　that　he　drank　to　stimulate　his　eloquence。　After　he　retired　from　office；　his　enemies；　in　order　to　undermine　his　further　political　influence；　sowed　the　falsehood　that　he　was　a　drunkard。　I　do　not　recall　that　they　ever　suggested　that　he　used　his　office　for　his　private　profitthere　are　some　things　too　absurd　for　even　malice　to　suggestbut　he　had　reason　enough　many　times　to　calm　himself　by　reflecting　that　his　Uncle　Jimmy　Bulloch；　the　best　of　men；　believed　just　such　lies；　and　the　most　atrocious　insinuations；　against　Mr。　Gladstone。

Of　course；　nearly　all　public　men　have　to　undergo　similar　virulent　defamation。　I　have　heard　a　well…known　publicist；　a　lawyer　of　ability；　argue　that　both　George　Washington　and　Abraham　Lincoln　did　not　escape　from　what　seems　now　incredible　abuse；　and　that　they　were；　nevertheless；　the　noblest　of　men　and　peerless　patriots；　and　then　he　went　on　to　argue　that　President　Woodrow　Wilson　has　been　the　target　of　similar　malignity；　and　to　leave　you　to　conclude　that　consequently　Wilson　is　in　the　same　class　with　Washington　and　Lincoln。　If　he　had　put　his　thesis　in　a　different　form；　the　publicist　might　have　seen　himself；　as　his　hearers　did；　the　absurdity　of　it。　Suppose　he　had　said；　for　instance：　〃In　spite　of　the　fact　that　Washington　and　Lincoln　each　kept　a　cow；　they　were　both　peerless　patriots；　therefore；　as　President　Wilson　keeps　a　cow；　he　must　be　a　peerless　patriot。〃　One　fears　that　logic　is　somewhat　neglected　even　in　the　training　of　lawyers　in　our　day。

The　commonest　charge　against　Roosevelt；　and　the　one　which　seemed；　on　the　surface　at　least；　to　be　most　plausible；　was　that　he　was　devoured　by　insatiable　ambition。　The　critical　remarked　that　wherever　he　went　he　was　always　the　central　figure。　The　truth　is；　that　he　could　no　more　help　being　the　central　figure　than　a　lion　could　in　any　gathering　of　lesser　creatures；　the　fact　that　he　was　Roosevelt　decided　that。　He　did　use　the　personal　pronoun　〃I；〃　and　the　possessive　pronoun　〃My；〃　with　such　frequency　as　to　irritate　good　persons　who　were　quite　as　egotistical　as　heif　that　be　egotismbut　who　used　such　modest　circumlocutions　as　〃the　present　writer；〃　or　〃one；〃　to　camouflage　their　self…conceit。　Roosevelt　enjoyed　almost　all　his　experiences　with　equal　zest；　and　he　expressed　his　enjoyment　without　reserve。　He　was　quite　as　well　aware　of　his　foibles　as　his　critics　were；　and　he　made　merry　over　them。　Probably　nobody　laughed　more　heartily　than　he　at　the　pleasantly　humorous　remark　of　one　of　his　boys：　〃Father　never　likes　to　go　to　a　wedding　or　a　funeral；　because　he　can't　be　the　bride　at　the　wedding　or　the　corpse　at　the　funeral。〃

Ambition　he　had；　the　ambition　which　every　healthy…minded　man　ought　to　have　to　deserve　the　good…will　and　approbation　of　his　fellows。　This　he　admitted　over　and　over　again；　and　he　made　no　pretense　of　not　taking　satisfaction　from　the　popularity　his　countrymen　showered　upon　him。　In　writing　to　a　friend　that　he　wished　to　be　a　candidate　in　1904；　he　distinguished　between　the　case　of　Lincoln　in　1864　and　that　of　himself　and　other　Presidential　candidates　for　renomination。　In　1864；　the　crisis　was　so　tremendous　that　Lincoln　must　have　considered　that　chiefly；　irrespective　of　his　own　hopes：　whereas　Roosevelt　in　1904；　like　Jackson；　Grant；　Cleveland；　and　the　other　two…term　Presidents；　might；　without　impropriety；　look　upon　reelection　as；　in　a　measure；　a　personal　tribute。

One　of　my　purposes　in　writing　this　sketch　will　have　failed；　if　I　have　not　made　clear　the　character　of　Roosevelt's　ambition。　He　could　not　be　happy　unless　he　were　busily　at　work。　If　that　work　were　in　a　public　office　he　was　all　the　happier。　But　the　way　in　which　he　accepted　one　office　after　another；　each　unrelated　to　the　preceding；　was　so　desultory　as　to　prove　that　he　did　not　begin　life　with　a　deep…laid　design　on　the　Presidency。　He　got　valuable　political　notoriety　as　an　Assemblyman；　but　that　was；　as　I　have　so　often　said；　because　he　could　not　be　inconspicuous　anywhere。　He　took　the　office　of　Civil　Service　Commissioner；　although　everybody　regarded　that　as　a　commonplace　field　bounded　on　three　sides　by　political　oblivion；　and　only　a　dreamer　could　have　supposed　that　his　service　as　Chief　Police　Commissioner　of　New　York　City　could　lead　to　the　White　House。　Only　when　he　became　Assistant　Secretary　of　the　Navy　can　he　be　said　to　have　come　within　striking　distance　of　the　great　target。　In　enlisting　in　the　Spanish　War　and　organizing　the　Rough　Riders；　he　may　well　have　reflected　that　military　prowess　has　often　favored　a　Presidential　candidacy；　but　even　here；　his　sense　of　patriotic　duty　and　his　desire　to　experience　the　soldier's　life　were　almost　indisputably　his　chief　motives。　As　Governor　of　New　York；　however；　he　could　not　disguise　from　himself　the　fact　that　that　position　might　prove　again；　as　it　had　proved　in　the　case　of　Cleveland；　the　stepping…stone　to　the　Presidency。　On　finding；　however；　that　Platt　and　the　Bosses；　exasperated　by　him　as　Governor；　wished　to　get　rid　of　him　by　making　him　Vice…President；　and　knowing　that　in　the　normal　course　of　events　a　Vice…President　never　became　President；　he　tried　to　refuse　nomination　to　the　lower　office。　And　only　when　he　perceived　that　the　masses　of　the　people；　the　country　over；　and　not　merely　the　Bosses；　insisted　on　nominating　him；　did　he　accept。　This　brief　summary　of　his　political　progress　assuredly　does　not　bear　out　the　charge　that　he　was